Public Stigma, Knowledge and Behaviors of the Attendees of Outpatient Clinics towards People with Mental Illness, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Mental stigma represents a critical obstacle for delivering mental health care.

Aims: To determine public stigma, knowledge & behaviors of the attendees of outpatient clinics towards People with Mental Illness (PWMI), King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in 2018. A sample of 600 attendees of outpatient clinics of KAUH were included. A standardized interviewing data collection sheet was used. It included three scales namely: the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI), Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) & Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS). Authoritarian, socially restrictiveness, benevolent & Community Mental Health Ideology of CAMI sub-scales were calculated. Descriptive, inferential, and multiple linear regression analyses were applied.

Results: About two-thirds of the participants agreed that mental illness causes lacking self-discipline & will power. Gender was significantly associated with all CAMI sub-scales (P < 0.01). An increasing level of knowledge about mental illness was associated with lower stigma towards PWMI (P< 0.001). After controlling confounders in regression analyses, gender and knowledge were significant predictors of all CAMI sub-scales. Concerning MAKS, about half of participants incorrectly identified stress & grief as types of mental illness. Regarding RIBS, living with (30.2%), and having a neighbor (28.8%) with mental illness were the commonest reported experiences.

Conclusions: Negative attitudes towards PWMI still prevailed. Mental stigma was higher among males, older people, lower-educators, lower-income & those with poor mental knowledge. Participants had a moderate intention to accept PWMI. Anti-stigma intervention educational programs are required.